Devex: Donors fall short at Syria conference
“International donors have pledged $4.4 billion in aid for civilians in Syria and the surrounding area in 2018 at a conference in Brussels, far short of what the United Nations says is needed to provide humanitarian assistance there this year. The two-day conference, which ran through Wednesday, featured more than 80 delegations, with participants also making multiyear pledges of $3.4 billion for 2019-2020. Development banks and donors announced loans worth around $21.2 billion, partly on concessional terms. The U.N. estimates that at least $9.1 billion is required for aid in Syria and the region this year. Prior to the conference, just $2.3 billion of that was covered…” (Chadwick, 4/26).